


Icy Embrace

by Pipirii



Category: RWBY
Genre: ( Discontinued but still a decent read LOL ), F/F, I have a need for Winter as a Mermaid and people can take it from my cold dead hands, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24255736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pipirii/pseuds/Pipirii
Summary: 'If the sight alone was not enough to steal the woman’s breath then the icy blue eyes that bore down at her was enough to finish the blow. This was where she was going to die and it was going to be at the hands of something that should not exist---Robyn barely knew where to start with digesting this information though the moment for gawking and staring passed as the frozen seconds of time jarringly started up once more.'Self indulgent Mermaid AU.
Relationships: Robyn Hill/Winter Schnee
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	1. What has too many teeth, blue eyes, and is illegally attractive?

The sun shimmered across the expanse of blue; the sun's warmth was nothing in contrast to the cool water of the sea that lapped against Robyn’s skin. 

A deep inhale was taken as the woman cast a small glance around the deep reefs, her boat floating quietly not meters away and her companions cheerily occupied in conversation as Robyn, herself, bobbed at the surface. 

“--I’m tellin’ you, something big brushed my leg. Don’t laugh!” May’s indignation carried across the waves as did the laughter that trickled after it. “It’s not funny!”

“Oh, c’mon, May. It’s pretty funny.” Fiona chimed in, a huff of laughter suppressed though Robyn could easily see how the corners of her eyes creased and the grin that was splitting her face.

It was Joanna who met Robyn’s gaze, hand lifting to offer a small wave. “All good?”

“Oh, yeah. Just wanted to let you know i’m going back down for a bit.” The blonde’s hand lifts to return that wave, voice projected to carry. “So if I don’t come back, assume i’m dead.”

Promptly, a thumbs up and a nod is given which was about what the woman expected from Joanna of all people. At the very least, she could trust that if she didn’t pop back up within the hour, someone would come looking.

“And try not to pick on May too much!” 

With those final words, Robyn’s mouthpiece was taken back into her maw and the full face mask drew over her features; diving into the clear blue depths once more. 

There was a certain thrill that came with putting herself out of her element and at the mercy of nature; allowing herself to press up alongside apex predators and the creatures of the ocean.

It was the quiet times like this where Robyn could pass over the reef and its inhabitants to merely appreciate it for what it was before it, too, vanished from the world. Even in this small untouched corner of the world, she could see faint traces of the coral dying and-...

Purple hues narrow as a shimmer of pure white caught the corner of her peripherals, turning in the water; adjusting to float there as her head turned left to right in vain hopes of trying to identify whatever had caught her attention though the ocean bed only had the reef and the plethora of colourful fish to offer. 

Brows furrow before her interest is lost and Robyn continues her exploration; childlike glee taken from such simple things such as the way the fish would dart up to her in curiosity then flee away at a small twitch of her fingers or a kick of her legs or how the reef sharks would pass overhead and cast long shadows to the sandy grounds below where Robyn resided.

Though with all good tastes of wonder, there is that adrenaline filled rush of fear that comes in the form of a particularly large White Tip Reef Shark that barely grazed Robyn’s head, causing her to inhale sharply and instinctively kick back towards the safety of the coral beds and the reef behind her; heart hammering in her chest at the what-if’s that came to mind.

Immediately, Robyn could only shrug off the encounter as she watched the shark continue its mad dash forwards into the blue yonder with nervous laughter. For all her years free-diving, she had never had a shark actively attack nor hurt her so panicking over one that likely accidentally bumped into her was almost childish in her own opinion.

_Good going, Robyn.  
You spooked yourself over a shark that’s no bigger than 2 meters in length and is hardly in sight any more. There’s nothing down here that’s a threat, idiot. So calm down and just look at the pretty fish--_

With a far more jovial laugh now that the initial panic had worn off, Robyn turned back to face the reef once more to find all the blood very quickly drain from her face and that panic to grip at her torso in a violent vice.

Looming before her was a creature, or a woman, with a sleek scaled form that transitioned seamlessly from human to shark. It’s skin was pale, grey with an off-white under belly though the long flowing hair was a brilliant white in stark contrast. Connecting just above what Robyn could assume was a waist was a set of fins that darkened to almost black though the dorsal fins as well as the tail seemed to retain a white tip.

If the sight alone was not enough to steal the woman’s breath then the icy blue eyes that bore down at her was enough to finish the blow. This was where she was going to die and it was going to be at the hands of something that should not exist---

Robyn barely knew where to start with digesting this information though the moment for gawking and staring passed as the frozen seconds of time jarringly started up once more. 

Fleeing was probably the worst thing Robyn could have chosen to do but if she could get back into the shallower areas of the reef then, in her mind, this creature would not follow or risk being beached and that was her only shot at not dying to, again, something that **shouldn’t** exist!

Kicking away from the creature and slowly, cautiously, swimming around until her back was to both the reef and her boat that rested gently on the still water surface, Robyn kept her gaze locked with this creatures that merely watched back with an intimidating amount of intelligence and a shit load of teeth below deceptively pleasant looking lips.

Robyn damn well swore she saw this thing SMILE at her and that was all she needed for Fight-Or-Flight to kick in. The blonde turned fast upon the spot, feeling the lull of the waves guide her back to the shallows and pushing herself until her muscles burned alongside it. 

Robyn swam like her damned life depended on it to get to the glimmering hope that was safety. A small look over her shoulder dashed that in mere seconds as the creature remained stationary with a predatory curl of those lips upwards and rows upon rows of dangerously sharp teeth were bore once again to the world. 

The swimmers blood ran cold, thrumming loudly in her ears as ragged breaths were taken; her limited supply of oxygen slowly but surely whittling away. 

A sharp force hit Robyn’s back, forcing her to collide with the seabed below. A grunt escaped her mouth and the diluted red of blood slowly stained the sea as a hot flash of pain swelled across her leg. 

The water shifted and moved as Robyn rolled to face upwards at the surface that was blotted out by the same beast that blocked the light out above her. This close up, she could make out the slitted gills across this creature's neck, the deep patch of scarring that rested just below her collarbone and the many nicks and marks that littered a battle worn form. 

“Oh god, don’t eat me---” The muffled words had left Robyn’s mouth before she had the dignity to catch them, hands shaking as she drowned in the regret of not bringing a knife with her on these stupid diving trips. 

Of all the things that Robyn expected to happen, she did not put any money on a watery, echoing laugh gracing her ears; those soft grey arms resting either side of her and pinning her in place against the crushed coral beneath her. 

“ _I make no habit of eating trash._ ” The creature, this mermaid, practically sneers as she pushes away. “ _However, return and I will make you an exception._ ”

Just as fast as the encounter began, it ended.

The mermaid pushed herself up and away from Robyn; tail swaying left to right as she left back to deeper waters.

Stunned in the moment, Robyn merely stared with her jaw slightly open; the mouthpiece she held between her teeth loosening enough that the soft hiss of oxygen provided was audible. The low throb of pain and the need to breathe yanked Robyn harshly back into the moment as her mouth piece was drawn back into her maw and she pushed herself upwards to swim to the surface slowly.

Her eyes scanned the open blue as she kept going, paranoid of the large beast that could return at any given moment. All that greeted her was the ocean's stillness and the slow draw of sharks to an open wound.

It barely took Robyn long to cross the space between herself and the boat; pulling herself up and into the open area with a hobbled limp. 

“Holy shit, what happened to you?” Amber eyes of one May Marigold greeted her with a mixture of concern and amusement. “The fish finally have enough of you?”

Even as the words are called out, the other was already grasping the first aid box and shoving Robyn back to sit. 

“Har Har. You’re so funny, May. As it happens, no. The fish did not start a revolution against me.” The diver snorts, rubbing at her ankle and the inflamed skin around it. “Just… had an accident.”

As Robyn sat in the boat, lightly rocking atop the waters, she contemplated how the fuck she was going to tell the others that she saw a mermaid of all things down there.

 _Oh, yeah. By the way, guys--_  
_I met some eight foot long shark woman and she told me I was garbage and wouldn’t eat me._

That was a solid fucking start to being laughed all the way off the boat and back to land. 

“ A shark hit me, is all. Knocked me into a sharp coral or something.” 

A frustrated noise left her maw, taking bandages offered and beginning to wrap the gash at her calf securely; glaring at it as if it would hold all the answers in the damned world if she scowled enough for it to reveal its secrets to her. 

This was something that Robyn would just take to her grave and assume the pressure got to her. Hallucinations were common when diving, right?

“So, you’re telling me that you got knocked out by a large shark and bounced off the coral?” May snorted, her grin was tell-tale enough that Robyn wouldn’t hear the end of this made-up story.

“Better than being spooked by some large sea monster.” The blonde replies without missing a beat though there is irony that’s not lost upon her for all the joking she might have about what May encountered.

Retribution came swift in the form of May punching her square in the shoulder and scowling, “You’re a real dick at times, you know that? Maybe the sharks could just smell the sheer amount of bullshit coming from you and that’s why you got dunked on.”

Further comments were silenced by a laugh from Joanna whose eyes rolled and a nudge of her elbow to May who seemed nothing short of smug as Robyn took the time from her busy schedule to raise the middle finger at her friend.

“Whatever happened, we’re glad that you’re okay.” Fiona interjects, a hand placed upon Robyn’s opposite shoulder with a caring smile to boot that simmered away any negativity Robyn might’ve clung to prior to crawling out of the ocean. “Just don’t go swimming off on your own again, please.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be more careful. Thanks, Fi’.” 

A warm smile from Robyn was plenty to cause Fiona’s face to burn slightly and turn away with a small clear of her throat. “It’s nothing. Uh, we should head back though. We’ll lose light in a few hours and you should probably rest, Robyn…”

Robyn let out a breathy laugh and grinned, “Not a bad plan--”


	2. One beach side walk a day keeps the PTSD at bay

The echoing rattle of explosions deafened Robyn’s ears, her heart thrumming in her chest as adrenaline and fear grasped her core; tremors running through her hands as her feet hit the dirt, pushing her way through the smoking infrastructure of a city in ruins. 

_C’mon, C’mon… Where are you--_

Violet hues dart wildly across the desolate road, the sky dark and smoke blocking out even the faintest ray of light. The path seemed to stretch never ending and still, as her legs burned and breathing grew laboured, she pressed on. 

“Marigold! Thyme!” Her voice was lost among the noise of bullets and screaming. “Joanna--! May! _Please_ \--”

Sharp pain swelled across Robyn’s form, her gaze flitting down to a sodden khaki attire that stained red; an injury that bloomed like a flower across her jacket. One hand presses to it, that panic grasping her to her core as her sprint stumbled down to an amble.

She drew in a breath, ragged and hard, as the sky fell and water washed clear through the land as if the ocean had been set free upon the city. It ran fast and clear, knocking her back onto the coral with wide eyes and burning lungs as a monster with gleaming blue hues peered down at her with rows and rows of jagged teeth that were inches from her throat--

_Please, I just wanted to save them. I wanted to live-- I don’t want to die._

_**Then Live.** _

As that bloodied maw closed in on Robyn, as darkness coiled at the very edge of her vision, she was yanked clear of the horrors of her mind and jerked away in her bed; sweat drenching her form and heart threatening to escape clear out her chest as it beat itself against her rib cage. 

Robyn’s gaze cast itself hastily around the familiar decor of her darkened bedroom, the obnoxious red light of her alarm clock blared that it was barely even 4:30 in the morning. A heaving sigh left the woman’s mouth, eyes shutting as her hands rose to rub the heels of her palms against her eyes and face as the grips of her dream loosened. 

She was home and, no doubt, her friends were fast asleep in their respective rooms but--

Within minutes, Robyn had pulled herself out of bed and was traversing the small rented house that herself and her friends shared. Quietly and gently, the door to Fiona’s room was pushed ajar to grant Robyn that moment of relief watching the slow rise and fall of the other’s chest or the soft snores that accentuated the air--

The door was pulled shut again and weight shed itself free from Robyn’s shoulders though much like most other nights, she knew damn well that sleep wasn’t going to grace her again today.

Slipping back to her own room, Robyn changed out of the loose pyjama pants and top to clean attire; simple jogging wear and a light jacket to ward away the morning chill. Her hair was pulled up into an easy ponytail, further sleep rubbed from her eyes as she began the quiet descent downstairs; snatching her keys and headphones as she bee-lined to the door. 

Only as her hand clasped the handle did a voice call out, “Can't sleep again?”

Joanna--

“You know me, gotta keep to my strict morning exercise.” Robyn chuffs back a faint laugh, glancing to the taller woman with a dismissive shrug. Even in the low light, she could spot the tell tale dark circles under Joanna’s eyes that Robyn was willing to bet mirrored similar to her own.

“Mhm… Fiona won't be happy.” Joanna lifted a hand, running it through her short hair before sighing. “Stay safe and try not to be out too long--”

“I always am, Jo. If Fiona asks, tell her I went for milk or… something. Just need some air, y’know? I shouldn’t be too long.”

The door pulled open and with a fleeting smile back at her companion, Robyn stepped out into the bitter morning air. Precious seconds were taken to put her ear buds in before she started a brisk jog towards the beachline that was barely a ten minute walk.

It was habitual by this point to use the frigid early morning air as a distraction but Robyn would be lying if she didn’t say the excuse and exercise helped her keep some semblance of a routine. The thought was fleeting as concrete faded to sand as her trainers sunk into the start of an empty beach.

A deep inhale was taken as she pauses, eyes shutting to relish in the fresh air and whipping wind that rolled off the sea. Robyn’s hands jammed into the pockets of her jacket and shoulders bunch up to ward off the rest of the chill as those purple hues drift out to the water.

A part of her expected to see that large figure cresting the waves or _something_ that would validate what happened to her the prior day. Something to say that she wasn’t mad or losing her mind--

Robyn Hill was on the bad side of her 20’s and had learned very quickly that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were nothing short of myths to keep children happy and complacent. Magic wasn’t real and neither was the beasts of mythology. 

Things like dragons and unicorns and _mermaids_ were simply twists of the imagination from past civilizations. What they were not was alive and _real_. 

“This is bullshit--” She grumbles, rubbing her face with a groan. Every fibre of her being was aching that the encounter was real but logically, it was crazy that it had happened. Nothing short of both a visual and auditory hallucination had occurred and she had lost herself for a moment back there--

That had to be it, nothing else made sense.

That thought, however, did little to comfort Robyn any more than trying to accept that Mermaids could possibly be real. Her two options weighed as having some form of stress induced vision or swallowing the facts that magical creatures might be real.

Sighing, Robyn shook the thought free and pushed herself back towards her daily jog in vain hopes that both the rude awakening and her encounter would dim to nothing more than background noise.

She had work in a handful of hours and the last thing she needed was distractions when trying to handle diplomatic issues and the parasitic leeches that consisted of the rest of the council. 

◤━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◥

Coiling across the reef almost akin to an eel, Winter paced the lengths of Mantle’s shoreline from the far edge’s that reached the lighthouse cliffs to the cusp of the harbour that even she did not dare venture close to. 

The last thing she needed was another human spotting her.  
Eugh, she should’ve ate that one; should’ve just killed her and be done with it. Every part of that mercy was Winter compromising her own existence whilst she was trapped against the coastline. 

Settling at a comfortable depth within the alcove she had claimed as home for now, Winter pressed both hands to her face; frustration mixing dangerously with a gut churning worry that only grew with each passing second. 

She was confined like a fish to a net, her sister could very well be gravely hurt or dead and it certainly felt as if the scarring upon her shoulder was not healing fast enough for her to return. 

If Weiss was dead then it was her fault. If she was dead then--

The what-if’s coiled around Winter like a noose, guilt causing her throat to close up and her chest to tighten. No, no. She couldn’t be dead, Winter made sure that she was able to escape, made sure that she could return home.

Her fingers press into the divots of raw, healing skin that crescent moon from her collar bone across her torso and mark the skin across her lower elbow. It had taken far too much time to merely recover, too much time resting and waiting when she could have been _acting_.

She should be heading home instead of cowering in some pocket of a dying reef near some shoddy human settlement. She should be finding her sister and apologizing for putting her in danger, for nearly getting her killed. One fleeting moment of freedom was no longer worth the price that it came with…

“Fuck…” The curse leaves Winter’s maw before she can stifle it, shifting herself forwards with purpose as steeled determination washes over her. It takes mere minutes for her to find the polearm that she had tucked away against the shallow sea floor; an elongated silver blade with a curved ornate handle guard that Winter had cherished as one of her prized possessions within her life.

One of the very few things that her father permitted her to have growing up.  
A singular piece of individuality that she had crafted herself during her training--

She would get out of this cove or resign herself to die trying.

Winter was no cornered mongrel ready to give up and submit to this fate, she still had to help her family and she still had a job to do. 

No filthy sea creature was going to keep her penned up and away from that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I reiterate that everything here is so dang self indulgent that i'm not even sorry
> 
> but things will pick up from here and updates will be kind of sporadic every couple of days to a week-ish depending on how busy I get <333


	3. Jaws Got Nothing on This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small warning for blood and muted gore! Nothing too descriptive but still heavily prevalent.

The mid-morning light glistened across the slow rolling water surface, casting a mosaic of patterns downwards onto the creatures of the sea bed. Shifting among the sands of the depths, a beast of dulled grey snaked through the outcroppings and seaweeds that swayed fluidly with its sweeping motion past. 

Four flippers aided by an elongated shark-esque tail see it glide forwards with a blackened beady eye languidly scanning it’s environment. Shoals of fish adjusting their paths around this beast and the larger aquatic life fleeing as the monstrous beast passed with presumed peace. 

Only for a stray turtle to brush too close to it’s maw and find it’s hardened shell crushed between powerful teeth that easily enclosed around the poor creature. A faint trickle of blood oozed from between it’s closed jaws though naught more of the turtle left to return to the soft light of day.

The monster turned fast on it’s tail and darted back into the depths with a low, harrowing wail that trilled and gurgled as it echoed across the waves.

The noise carried and warped, and all Winter could do was grasp her pole arm that degree tighter as her jaw set. The steeled determination that carried her to the deeper depths was waning but concern pushed her forwards. 

She needn’t defeat the primal beast, only sneak by.  
If she could get home then she could have advantage over the monster and the reinforcements to see it taken down for good but as it stood, she was outmatched and no fool.

The safety of the reefs and the shore were left behind as the waters darkened, the warmth of the sun abandoning Winter as her heart rose to her throat and thrummed in her ears. Shaken inhales were taken as her grasp on her weapon tightened dangerously; knuckles turning white and icy blue eyes casting wide sweeps of the open ocean coming into view.  
With each shift of the shadow, Winter found her pausing and turning on the spot with her breath held. The cries and calls of the sea had died down, leaving the ever noisy ocean eerily silent save for one guttural snarl that echoed with no origin.

The noise left Winter’s skin prickling and tension to coil across her aquatic form. She could swear the abyss was playing tricks on her; shadows passing overhead and a large, sleek object catching her peripherals.

A rush of movement disturbed the water, forcing Winter back as reptilian skin passed her vision; a jaw closing mere inches from her fringe. A panicked yelp leaves her own maw as instinct guides her hands to her blade and thrusts it outwards to strike at the snaking form far bigger than hers that faded back into the darkness with a heaving snarl and a trail of blood to show for her quick thinking.

The waters did not still, however, and even with dimmed visibility, Winter’s keen sight was plenty capable of spotting the beast circling back. The scarring upon her torso burned with the memory of that jaw around her form; a lump rising to her throat as her weapon was poised to strike once again.

 _So much for making it back home or die trying, huh?_ The thought was bitter upon Winter’s lips. Was this really how she was going to die? In the maw of a long forgotten monster, far from home and alone.

No.  
If her family was known for anything, it was the spiteful stubbornness that clung to her very bones. The same stubbornness that drew her towards the creature's open mouth with her weapon brandished.

As it’s jaw clamped down, Winter thrust out.  
Simultaneously, the much larger creature bit harshly upon her grey-toned torso and her own lance struck a clean blow straight into the beast’s face; her blade tugging upwards across the prehistoric animal’s face to it’s eye and up until it had clean torn free from it’s leathery skin.

Two cries of pain rang out in the ocean, blood staining the waters a murky brown as Winter took the moment to swim free of the beast’s maw as it bellowed in pain. Her teeth grit together, steeling herself for a hopeful finishing blow upon her foe before the creature ended her.

A blow that fell feet short as her opponent turned sharply, the force of the water unbalancing her and that pointed tail cracking a blow to her chest that left her winded. 

Each breath was a heaving inhale, burning her lungs with a blurry vision. The adrenaline draining from her body as her blood seeped into the salted waters of the ocean around her. 

Stillness returned and Winter found herself fighting both her own consciousness and the riptide that was tugging her back towards the coast once again. One hand was cupping a puncture wound whilst the other curled her body as if it would shield Winter from the pain wracking across her.

This would not be her end; the words firm and repetitive in her mind as water pushed her back to the cage of her reef, a trail of crimson marking her wake. She would recover from this like the times before--

 _This would not be her end._  
She hoped and prayed as the midday light faded from her sights and left her adrift in the unforgiving grasp of the surf. 

It couldn’t be her end, she still had… to…

_Weiss--_

◤━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◥

If Robyn Hill had the misfortune of ever seeing that _slimy_ rat of a man again, she swore blind that she would do more than verbally debate why it was against human rights to send people into dangerous mines for profitory gain.

Who was that cruel and callous!?

An exasperated sigh left Robyn’s mouth, the irritation of the day just skin deep as she left the rural city center of Mantle and trudged a familiar path of calm towards the beach side. There was something about the walk that put the politician to ease and allowed her desperately needed moments to halt the corrosive spread of her anger.

Heavy boots hit the sand, kicking small piles of it upwards as she went. Hands were jammed into her jacket pockets and shoulders hunched upwards. If anyone dared to even try to talk to her within the next hour, she knew that she would end up in the police station with Officer Branwen down her throat for ‘another act of needless aggression’ or some bullshit.

Robyn had stopped listening to that old crone close after hitting 25. She knew the law well enough to navigate it with a worrying amount of finesse and both Raven _AND_ Qrow Branwen knew that.

Though thinking on it, she only ever had issues with the dead-beat mother of the duo. Qrow Branwen had stopped lecturing her on recklessness when he started his descent into alcoholism all those years ago. It seemed these days, he was doing better at getting himself under control and Robyn had a great amount of respect for the greying man in that regard. 

Less so for the years he spent being a colossal dick to most of his family and friends. 

Robyn snorted with a small roll of her eyes, the notion fleeting as her attention returned back to the tranquility of the coastline. At this time of eve, the amount of people had dwindled to single digits; lone joggers or dog walkers would pass and seldom, she would catch a couple or two in the distance.

Tonight saw her pass the vaguely familiar faces of the Cotta-Arc couple and their toddler. A brief greeting and pleasant smile was given, sparing little time in disturbing the pair on their walk back towards the docks whilst Robyn had every intention of spending the last hours of daylight getting herself completely and utterly lost on a trail path past the Lighthouse until Fiona called her, demanding to know why she wasn't home and where the hell she was.

That plan began smoothly as the blonde followed the sandy shoreline down towards the looming rocky outcrop that held Mantle’s sole lighthouse atop; the brilliant light already lit in anticipation of the night to come. 

Despite the woman’s best efforts, her gaze repetitively drew itself back down to the water with the events of the other day still fresh at the back of her mind. It wasn’t real, Robyn had decided as she accepted the bitter truth that she might’ve lost her mind for a good five minutes thanks to a stressful situation and water pressure.

It made plenty sense to her and was good enough to pass as a logical excuse. 

At least, she had the lack of dignity to laugh about it as she drew attention away from the frothing sea and back to the path in front of her, skimming over a large serpent like shadow of a body that rested within the sands; water lapping at the edges of the darkened figure.

Seconds ticked by as Robyn kept walking before a cold shiver ran across her body and she forced herself to double take at the creature upon the shores. It was unmoving and it was fucking _huge_.

Another laugh bubbled up, nervous and uneasy, as Robyn shook her head and kept walking with serious contemplation of just ignoring it and hoping it just rolled back into the damned ocean, never to be seen again. 

Nope, Nu-uh.  
It was not fucking happening again and she was not going to be sucked down this clinically insane rabbit hole of ‘Oh, sea-monsters exist!’ except she was already slipping down the steep bank of sand between her and the dark shape.

The closer that Robyn got, the more dread filled her and the easier it became to see the ragged rise and fall of the beast’s chest; an unpleasantly familiar shape that made the woman want to both flee in terror and grab the biggest stick she could find to jab the creature in petty revenge.

Robyn was mid-way through tugging her phone out of her pocket to take a picture when the being moved. Her phone dropped to the sand and a very high yelp parted her lips, eyes blown wide as an arm pulled closer to this mermaid’s torso. One icy blue eye opens as raw wounds are grasped once more; sand tinged red and clinging to the injuries.

Oh, how the tables were turning--

Splutters and coughs wracked the mermaid, wheezing in the salty sea air and all at once Robyn snapped out of reality. The bloodied visage of comrades flash across her memories, cries and coughs of pain that would leave them trembling and the unknown fear of whether they would survive or not...

Without thought, she was moving. Her phone was yanked up off the sand and fingers dialled before she could give thought to them as the space between her and this creature that was very easily two to three foot bigger than her. 

“Fiona, I need your help---” The moment the ringing ceases and her friend’s voice greets her, Robyn is spewing words faster than the other could keep up. “I need you down by the Lighthouse, okay? Bring your first aid kit and-... No, no. I’m not hurt but someone here is. I can’t--...”

The mermaid shifts and a pained hiss causes Robyn to jump back in alarm, the noise only further inciting concern from Fiona; a voice that Winter could only barely detect from the strange device that this human had pressed to her head.

“If I could call an ambulance then I would but just… trust me. She’s going to need stitches, a lot of them.” 

That was if the creature survived long enough for Fiona to arrive--....


	4. Sometimes Friendship is Two Gals Pretending Mermaids Don't Exist

“Robyn, what the _hell_ is that!?” Fiona’s voice was borderline hysterical as the shorter woman gripped the first aid kit tightly in her hands; the tiny three door car she had arrived in was abandoned down the shoreline with its headlights beaming forwards onto the trio with a long shadow cast onto the ocean.

“I have no fucking idea, Fi’, okay? But she looks hurt and-...” Robyn’s words trail off, her gaze flickering back to the mermaid that heaved and groaned in agony at her side. “You’ll help, right?”

The biggest flaw that Fiona found that she had was saying ‘No’ to Robyn Hill when the other donned that pitiful look in her eyes and an iron resolve to her tone. If she didn’t help then Robyn would merely do it herself and make it a botched job...

A steadying inhale was taken, eyes shut as Fiona forcefully composed herself then nodded. She hadn’t let anyone die on her watch to date and it wouldn’t be changing any time soon; mythical creature or not.

“I don’t know how well this will translate over to… her, Robyn. I’ll do my best though.” Stitching wounds shut was easy in theory, it was all skin at the end of the day. The hard part would be the very sharp teeth in a maw of a wounded and cornered unknown creature. “I assume you have a plan?”

The immediate pause spoke volumes and Fiona found herself second guessing this estranged agreement she had made. Oh, this woman owed her _big time_.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Robyn’s reply was spoken with far more confidence than she felt, moving cautiously around the mermaid’s body to be in front of her with both hands lifted in surrender. “Hey, you’re in pretty bad shape. I don’t know if you remember me but we’re here to help.” 

Winter’s eyes narrowed to pinpricks, trying desperately with the last trickles of energy she had to keep both humans in her sight. Her arms refused to lift her body, trembling with the exertion of trying to push herself up then crashing back into the biting sand until she had merely given up and accepted her fate of dying on some forsaken beach.

The aquatic being wished she had the strength to fend off the pair and that she didn’t look half as pathetic as she did in this moment of time. It was weakness and she had learned from a very young age that a show of ‘weakness’ was a death sentence but she was as good as dead anyways, was she not?

Winter had so very little to lose and so much to gain if these humans were foolish enough to help her. The worry of what they had seen and their actions could come later.

“ _I… Remember_.” Winter rasps, her voice wispy and almost ethereal to Robyn’s ears. Her eyes did not leave the blonde save for when her companion slunk around her side and into her peripherals. 

A dangerous hiss caused Fiona to jump back, her heart hammering at her rib cage as a sharp inhale of air was sucked in. 

“I-... I need to look at them if you want them healed up.” The words were nearly lost to the wind, quiet and wavering, as Fiona’s hand gestured out to the angry red, raw wounds. Some small part of her hoped that this prideful creature rejected the assistance and attempted to chase them off but that was hardly her luck.

This woman was clearly not the friendly type and very much hurt which was a disaster waiting to happen in her books. Robyn’s, however, seemed to deem this the _perfect_ time to play hero and rush out to save lives as if they were back on the front line and responding to an emergency call.

“Listen, the sooner you stay still and let us get this over with, the faster you’ll be back in the sea and scaring the shit out of unsuspecting people minding their own business.” Robyn interjects just as that menacing maw opens once again.

Winter’s features curl into a sneer, looking away from Fiona pointedly in silent permission for the medic to work and fast if she wanted to leave this encounter with all her fingers intact.

The hint was quickly grasped but there was a brief moment of hesitation as Fiona eyes the beast before moving in to start working on the multiple punctures and tears across Winter’s shark-like body. A quick scan over their location assured Fiona that nothing vital had been pierced but then again, she hardly knew mermaid anatomy so that was a rough guess at best. 

The mermaid in question had locked her gaze with the filthy human that she had scared not 48 hours ago. Breathing was difficult at best above water but Winter wagered she could survive a handful of hours more before she began to dry out which, theoretically, should be plenty of time for this small human to patch her up, and then crawl back into the murky depths. 

“So… You’re real, huh?” Robyn’s voice yanks Winter clean from her thoughts and back into the moment; hyper aware of the hands pressing upon tender skin and invading her personal space. Maybe death would’ve been more preferable to this…

The lack of response did not seem to deter Robyn from continuing but Winter was hardly ignorant to the way this stranger's hands balled tightly, the bob of her throat or how teeth worried the stranger’s lip. 

Small details that reeked of fear.

A low smirk snaked across Winter’s face but the snide comment was bit back by a burning sting of pain and a low hiss from between clenched teeth. An immediate and accusatory glance back to Fiona caused the poor woman to freeze much akin to a deer in headlights, one hand upon Winter’s abdomen and another dabbing some form of cloth over her injuries. 

“I have to clean them or they could get infected, sorry.” Maybe she should’ve warned the volatile creature of her intentions prior to wiped over the wound.

“ _Be quick._ ” 

Fiona did not need to be told twice nor asked again. The sooner this strange and tense situation was over with, the faster she could try to comprehend what was happening. There was no justifying what she was doing in this moment, no explanation for how or why this was happening but here she was, stitching up a sea creature that was very much fully sentient and equally as distressed.

Each stitch felt like a death warrant just waiting to be signed. Every time this creature would tense or snarl, Fiona felt a year shaved off her life expectancy but Robyn stood there as if this woman could not outright slaughter them both with a sweep of her arm or a clean bite.

“You’ll be fine.” Robyn murmurs, audible for her and this creature alone. At some point, she had shifted closer and was offering a reassuring smile. If she wanted Robyn dead then she would already be dead twice over, the blonde reasoned but she very well could be wrong given the murderous glower that painted the mermaid’s strangely similar face.

Again silence permeated the air with little in the ways of Robyn relenting in her ceaseless soothing. Those soft oceanic blue hues turned away from her, focused upon the sand with a crease to her brow that twitched with each new stitch. There was an air of almost lethargy to Winter’s movements, eyes showing hints of drooping despite how best the low tug of exhaustion pulled.

“They look pretty serious but Fiona’s one of the best field medic’s that I know. She’ll have you on your feet-... Or, I guess, up and active before you know it.” Robyn pressed on, talking further even if the only reaction she got was a huffing growl. “Because you don’t have legs, y’know?”

Any response meant that she was alive and that was all that mattered.

From across the ways, Robyn could practically _see_ the darkened form of Fiona shake her head as a sigh graced her ears. Sadly, the lackluster joke fell very much flat on both Fiona and the mermaid whose lethargic gaze held a great amount of disdain for both Robyn and, she could only presume, her terrible commentary. 

“That was unintentional but uh-...” Robyn coughs, side eyeing Fiona’s slow work then the mermaid once again. “So, I know you can talk and I don’t know how naming goes for you guys but I’m Robyn and that’s Fiona.”

The weight of offering a name back rested heavily on Winter’s tongue, stubbornness prickled up her spine and she offered only a flash of her canines in reciprocation. She cared so very little to know these land dwellers but mainly, she didn’t want to accept the aid at the risk of her feeble pride shattering.

“Real talkative now that you’re stuck on land and need our help--”

“Robyn. Please don’t be antagonistic.” Fiona’s voice rings out from across the ways, dim light illuminating her between the vanishing sunlight and the headlights of the car. Robyn didn’t want to admit that pissing off something bigger than her with far more teeth wasn’t a good idea and Fiona was right but--

“Sorry, sorry.” The words were half spoken to Fiona and half to Winter, turning back to face the mermaid.

The concerning reaction from Winter was a _lack_ of a reaction at all.  
Those pale blue eyes were shut, her head slumped further into the sand and as far as Robyn could see, the only movement was the slow rise and fall of her chest.

“Fi’...?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know, she’ll be alright, I think. The wounds are stitched up and just need tying at the end here. I don’t know if she needs to be back in the water but she does need time to rest.” Fiona’s voice carried a distracted air, metal stitches woven tightly into thick skin.

Though everything that passed her lips was hypothetical at best.

The shorter blonde pushed herself up out of the sand, hands brushing what she could free of her attire and turning her soft gaze to Robyn. “I don’t think there is much more we can do for her.”

Violet eyes stared down the larger being with her lips pulling taut into a frown. “Yeah-- Thanks for the assist, Fi’. Didn’t really think I could call a doctor out on this one.”

“It’s fine? I-...” Fiona glances between Robyn then the mermaid. The panic of the moment was waning and the surrealness of it was weighing in; the fact that she had essentially, hopefully, saved a mermaid’s life. “I don’t know. That’s an actual mermaid, Robyn. They’re real. That is not possible...”

“I kinda think it is given the fact that there’s one dying right next to us but you can't tell a soul okay? You know what people are like at their best and something like her would end up in a tank or a morgue slab so fuckin’ fast-...”

“I know, I know. I won’t tell anyone, you have my word.” Sheepishly, a pinky finger is extended to Robyn. The gesture felt childish but the councilwoman didn’t hesitate in rising to grasp it with her own pinky in turn. “I don’t think anyone would believe me even if I did tell them anyways.”

“You’re the best, Fiona. I owe you more than one favour for this.” 

“You already owed me more than one favour prior to this but you’re welcome.” It was worth it to see Robyn breathing easy and smiling as broadly as she was for that second of time; it was worth it to smooth away the creases of worry upon her brow.

With their hands untangled from one another, Fiona inched back towards the car she had left unattended with Robyn following at her side. 

“I’m going to grab the blanket from the trunk if you don’t need it.” Without waiting for a reply, Robyn was already popping the boot of the tiny red car open and grabbing the checkered folded fabric. “Gonna set up camp here until she’s awake just to make sure she lives.”

“I-... If you’re sure that’s what you want to do, I’m not going to convince you otherwise but just… let me or someone know if you need help.” There was a genuine threat that came with such a beautiful creature and the idea of leaving Robyn alone with it sat poorly but there was no convincing this woman otherwise when she had that steeled set determination to her features. “Don’t do anything stupid, please.”

“I won’t, don’t worry. Doesn’t feel right to put all this effort in to help her then just leaving her to fend for herself but I’m not aiming to get myself killed for it.” The blonde’s jacket was tugged further around herself, huffing back a weak chuckle as her gaze returned back to the still form of the mermaid.

A brief goodbye was offered, Robyn’s hand lifting in a faint wave as she returned back to the creature's side and settled on the sand with the blanket laid down for a seat. A brief glance at her phone told her that she had 58% of her battery left and it was no later than 8 o’clock.

It was going to be a very long night...

The cable for her headphones were unraveled from the impossible tangle that they had become and then the buds were tucked into her ears. She might as well get comfy, the mermaid didn’t look as if she would be moving any time soon.

Flicking through her music, a playlist was tapped on and she merely sat in silence with nothing but the soft tunes in her ears and the lull of the ocean. Robyn could wait here for as long as it took for this woman to awake…

She only hoped her battery lasted long enough to make it, at least, entertaining.

The minutes ticked by so very slowly and for each and every one of them, Robyn found herself staring at every tiny detail of the pale creature that she could gleam with what little light remained of the day.

There were small nicks and scratches of prior scarring that littered her body from head to tail tip and her skin looked almost human but under certain light had a rubbery texture to it. The most eye-catching was her fine white hair that fell across the sleeping being’s face, slung to damp skin and easily reached past her shoulders.

Hesitantly, Robyn’s fingers reached out to brush the platinum strands free of the mermaid’s face and tuck it behind her ear; nails gently grazed over Winter’s rubbery complexion, and basking in the sheer alien beauty that this creature held.

This was something that Robyn never thought would ever exist and yet---

It was only by the sheer touch of her fingers to this stranger's skin that the woman noted how… dry it was. 

If the movies had taught her anything, namely ones about freeing a Killer Whale back to the ocean, it was that dry skin on sea creatures wasn’t really a grand sign with all things considered. Even with the waves reaching the base of the mermaid’s body, it barely lapped over her hips and the cusp of her form...

“Fuck.” The curse escaped Robyn’s lips, glancing about then back with a grimace. Impulsively, she grasped the blanket off the sand and threw it into the water; soaking it through and proceeding to drag it over the mermaid’s elongated tail to cover as much as she could.

That should, in theory, keep half of her damp but the rest of her--

Sighing, Robyn sheds herself of a precious layer of clothing and repeats the same motion as with the blanket; dropping it to the water and drenching it before laying it over the other’s chest. 

“If I don’t get some sort of thanks for this-…” Goosebumps rose over her skin, the evening air was significantly more biting now as her words trailed away into the wind.

Withdrawing, Robyn settled once again. Daylight was fading and the temperature dropping with each passing hour, it was going to be a very unpleasant night but she could hope it would be worth it in the end because fifteen year old her was screaming sweet joy at this discovery.

◤━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◥

How long had passed?  
Winter blearily opened her eyes, stars and a slow panning light of the building atop the cliffs greeted her. The pain was still fresh and very much throbbing as she lifted a hand to touch the stitching that littered her lower torso and tail in tight lines only to be hindered by a damp layer across most of her body.

Fingers gently peel the sodden fabric off of herself and leave it piled in the sand by her side. Disdain painted Winter’s features, nose scrunching up as her attention shifted back to the wounds then across to a soft shift of sudden movement in the sand. 

Her icy eyes snapped to the faint outline of a human sat not a foot away, tired violet hues peering back at her with some form of dumb _smile_ painting her face. That alone did not sit well with Winter.

“ _What..?_ ”

“What? Just glad to see you’re not dead.” Fatigue grasped at every fiber of Robyn’s being but relief did wash over her and ease the weighty sensation; the mermaid was okay and certainly picked up in some spirits if the scowl painting that porcelain face was any indication. 

A low huff passed Winter’s maw, gaze diverting away. Oh, how the next words were to be pulling teeth--

“ _An astute observation. You and your friend are to… thank for this, I suppose?_ ” For what it was worth, Winter was grateful to still be alive but to owe this debt to a human felt bizarre and wrong at best. “ _So… Thank you, Robyn._ ”

The mermaid couldn’t decide if she inherently disliked the broad smile that crept up onto this human's face or if it was somewhat endearing. The thought died on her tongue as Robyn’s mouth opened and Winter settled on ‘annoying’ very quickly. 

“Oh, so you **aren’t** deaf! Wow, that’s a huge relief. Here, I thought you just couldn’t hear us earlier.” Sarcasm dripped off the words that were certainly more salty than the ocean not meters away. “But hey, you’re welcome for us saving your life and all. The payment fee is a two-part down payment of your name and promising not to try an’ kill me in future endeavours, thanks.”

Every single thing about this woman, Winter decided, was nothing short of irritating and infuriating and yet, she huffed a brief laugh of amusement. If all this human wanted was her name and to be left alone then those were the easiest things in the world that Winter could give her.

“ _Is that all? I did not realise saving one’s life was such a cheap affair on the lands._ ” The white haired woman quips back with hardly a beat missed. “ _Winter and you have my word that I will not kill you upon sight if we cross paths in the future._ ”

“Winter…” The name felt fitting given the pallid appearance and mono-toned colour scheme that the mermaid donned as if the word was made for the creature before her. “It’s nice to meet you, Winter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you all want to know what playlist Robyn's probably listening to then go hit up some Sleeping at Last <33


End file.
